Pedro Sánchez calls Spanish snap election for 29 November following housing defeat

Snap election announced

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced early general elections on Monday, 5 October 2026, scheduling the national vote for 29 November. The contest will mark Spain's fifth general election within a decade, arriving several months before the legislature's term was set to conclude in late summer 2027. The decision followed the parliamentary defeat on Friday, 2 October, of two government decree laws designed to address rising rental costs. A coalition of the conservative People's Party, far-right Vox, and the right-wing Catalan separatist party Junts voted together to reject the legislative package. With the ruling minority coalition unable to pass core legislation, Sánchez chose to dissolve parliament and seek a renewed governing mandate.

Housing protests and public reaction

Public anger over rising rents and tenant vulnerability intensified after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from the Madrid flat where she had lived since 1956. On Saturday, 3 October, approximately 70,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Madrid, while simultaneous protests took place across roughly 50 Spanish cities. In Valencia, demonstrations turned into confrontations with law enforcement officers, who deployed tear gas and rubber bullets against crowds. Housing activists criticized the administration, noting that housing costs and rental pressures continued to mount over Sánchez's eight years in office. Valeria Racu, a spokesperson for the Tenants Union, criticized the Socialist Party's record on real estate policy during the rallies.

“We are done with these politicians. We won't fall for their nonsense anymore.”

Executive decrees and legislative maneuvers

Although general elections have been called, Sánchez's cabinet remains in full executive office rather than acting as a caretaker administration until the November vote takes place. Ministers prepared a regular cabinet session for Tuesday to approve revised versions of the rejected housing measures, including eviction protections under the Maricarmen Decree and rules on permanent tenancy contracts. The government plans to refer these decrees to parliament's 69-member Permanent Deputation, which exercises legislative powers when parliament is dissolved. Passing the measures in the body requires 35 votes, bypassing Junts if regional groups such as the Basque Nationalist Party maintain their support. Political scientist Pablo Simón noted that by focusing the election on housing rights, the prime minister seeks to pivot toward social issues favoured by left-wing voters.

Corruption cases, migration, and foreign policy

The election announcement follows several domestic controversies that constrained the governing coalition's legislative strength. In June 2026, former senior Socialist Party official José Luis Ábalos received a 24-year prison sentence for bribery and corruption. Police had previously raided Socialist Party offices in May during an inquiry into alleged efforts to smear judges investigating the prime minister's wife, Begoña Gómez, and his brother David. In North Africa, the Spanish enclave of Ceuta saw tens of thousands of migrant arrivals over the summer and at least 141 deaths at sea, prompting military deployment and opposition criticism. In his televised address, Sánchez defended his economic record, pointing to second-quarter gross domestic product growth of 0.7% and investments in renewable energy, while reiterating his vocal foreign policy stances against Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas publicly endorsed Sánchez, stating that the Spanish prime minister had opened an important contest against the political right across Europe.